1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions for the control of pests, methods of making such compositions, and methods of controlling pests with such compositions.
2. Description of Related Art
The control of pests, in particular arthropods, inside and outside of buildings and houses is necessary for a variety of reasons, for example, to prevent disease transmission, to maintain hygienic standards, and to avoid structural destabilization of structures. The most frequently used control method is the application of pesticidal active substances in aqueous spray or atomizing solutions. Independently of the active substance used, the activity of the spray coating greatly depends on the physicochemical properties of the sprayed surface and the environmental effects surrounding the treated area. For example, the coating's activity duration may be reduced on porous, and in particular alkaline porous, surfaces such as concrete, render, ashlar/brick, timber (treated and untreated), ceramic, straw or thatch, chalky, limy, gypsiferous, cement-containing and loamy surfaces. Additionally, the environmental effects of temperature, UV, and rain, can adversely affect the activity of the active substances employed.
In many conventional formulations, exposure to water (rain, snow, sprinkler systems, irrigation, etc.) can wash away the active substances, resulting in environmental degradation and a need to frequently reapply the formulations. Reapplication in turn results in increased exposure of the user, the inhabitants of the structure, domestic animals, and the environment to the formulations. In particular, the washed-off active substances enter the environment and water systems, potentially affecting areas where pesticide residues represent an ecological threat and/or are undesirable.
A need exists for improved pesticidal formulations that provide longer-term protection by reducing the environmental degradation and wash-off of the active substances from the treated surface without negatively affecting the efficacy of the active substance.